Saturday Home Ill

I am afraid Saturday’s story will not be very interesting. I was feeling blah on Saturday, with signs of a light flu. I fought nausea all day, but managed not to re-experience any food by reverse. Subsequently, little of interest was done on Saturday. We also learned that Deborah has new family obligations, and her trip here to the Pacific Northwest (PNW) will be shortened; we are still working out the changes.

The rains returned, finally, on Saturday, and the morning was gray. The sunrise was only recorded by the gray getting brighter. My neighbor’s lights were on by 3:30 as the sun approached setting. At least the periods of bright gray are getting longer.

I finished off the coffee from Jeanne (thanks!) and needed to get more or go instant. I planned to do some grocery shopping as I was out of veggies.

I am headed to Michigan for my birthday, April 16, as shows are in Lansing (Liam, Deborah’s son, has a show there) and Suff is playing in Detroit, and Deborah, Jeanne, and I already have tickets. This is a long weekend visit, as Deborah is still working and will be busy. I am thinking of heading to St. Louis to see the Sugarloaf Mound, the nearby Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, and some museums. More to come (looks like a complex train trip or driving, as planes will only get me close).

I spent the morning writing, and it was a struggle to keep my focus and to find my way. I did more laundry after I spilled chicken stock all over the kitchen floor, and the towels needed washing. I made a simple lunch of bacon I had made a few days ago and a can of large beans from Trader Joe’s. I was dragging.

I sent a note to my primary Doc that one of the prescriptions is going to be out, but it is now coded to be refilled by my previous insurance, and that will not be good. This is more of the paperwork for the new insurance. My anti-rash meds are running out too, but Goodskin Dermatology is not open on weekends, and I will reach out to them on Monday to get that resolved. There is no end to medical paperwork.

The final bits of the 2025 Tax paperwork have arrived, and I will begin preparing the totals that my CPA at Cornerstone requires. I withdrew from my IRA but then gave the money away. This should count as income and then as gifts. I am hopeful. I paid for my medical insurance too, and that is after taxes and should also count (after an adjustment from a percentage of my income). Again, I am hopeful I got all this right in my mind, that the CPA agrees, and the IRA and the State of Oregon Revenue agree. This is also a year for the Kicker (a special refund of tax overage in Oregon that is returned every other year), and my Oregon tax payment from two years ago should be included.

Despite feeling unwell, I headed to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I will switch out Whole Foods, where I buy mostly meat, to Market of Choice, as I am not happy to support the murders of The Washington Post. Liberals have long memories. I managed three bags, one from Whole Foods and two from Trader Joe’s, with my favorite frozen items.

(Broken screen)

And then my Apple laptop broke on my return to finish this post. Ugh! Yesterday I backed it up to a new drive, and when I returned from church, the screen was damaged (likely from a drop to the floor with a delayed impact). I soon had an appointment with Best Buy, and they sent it (after $99) to Apple to repair it. This is my Raspberry Pi computer (here, but not the + version). I have the official screen and mouse too. WordPress runs in a browser, so I don’t need an expensive Apple to do this!

(My new desktop set-up)

I am now picking up where I left off before church, and now that my usual laptop is in the shop. I am using a mouse and a tiny, unfamiliar keyboard, and I miss many keystrokes, but I am getting better at this.

I unloaded the bags (back to my narrative) and put things away. I then reboarded Air VW the Gray and soon picked out veggies and some coffee at 185th Corner Market. They were happy to see me, and I managed to find everything I needed. I returned to the house, picked a pork chop, and put it in a bag with teriyaki sauce. Later, I would cook mushrooms and onions in a cast-iron pan with the chop. I would finish it in the oven for 15 minutes. It was great. I microwaved a potato and steamed fresh carrots as sides.

Deborah and I watched another episode of Elsbeth and enjoyed it. I also watched before Deborah called another episode of Pluribus. We talked and started revising her visit. It was nice to just hang out together, even remotely.

I had informed Richard and Kathleen that I could not make the games. I was not feeling well, and it’s best not to expose them if it’s the flu or something else (I was better on Sunday).

Deborah rang off and went to sleep, and I read for a while and did the dishes, finished the laundry (except the folding), and assembled the coffee. I read more of Eric Cline’s book and then slept. I managed to sleep until 4ish and then rose to prove hydration, and then managed to sleep until 8ish.

Thanks for reading this multiple computer edition. This is about $130 worth of tech (plus screen and mouse) I am using, including 8G of memory on a four-core ARM processor running over 2G and even faster independent internet connection.